Solid electrolytic capacitors (e.g., tantalum capacitors) have been a major contributor to the miniaturization of electronic circuits and have made possible the application of such circuits in extreme environments. Many conventional solid electrolytic capacitors are formed with terminations located on a lower surface of a resin casing surrounding the capacitor element so that the capacitor can be surface mounted onto a printed circuit board, where the capacitor is thus embedded within the printed circuit board. These terminations exist in a single plane that is parallel with the lower surface of capacitor element and are present on the ends of the capacitor. Such an arrangement, however, can lead to flexing of the capacitor when mounted to a printed circuit board, where the flexing puts mechanical stress on the capacitor, which can lead to delamination and cracking of the components of the capacitor. This, in turn, leads to reduced electrical performance of the capacitor when mounted to the printed circuit board.
As such, a need remains for a solid electrolytic capacitor that can be mounted to a printed circuit board in a mechanically stable manner.